The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) board of directors is investigating managing director Immanuel Mulunga for leaking information to the media and filing court papers that defended the national oil company’s finance executive.
The Namcor board suspended Mulunga on Tuesday after reports regarding the unauthorised payment of N$100 million for an oil block in Angola.
However, the board pulled the trigger on Mulunga for allegedly feeding information to the media and submitting court documents that defended the performance of his finance and administration executive, Jennifer Hamukwaya.
The Namibian has since last week reported about the dirty power struggle between Mulunga and Namcor chairperson Jennifer Comalie’s camp.
Namcor is the government’s vehicle in major oil discoveries off the coast of Namibia, including the three oil discoveries linked to oil companies Shell, QatarEnergy and Chevron.
There is already speculation that Mulunga’s suspension could be linked to that power struggle to benefit from Namibia’s natural resource deals.
Namcor’s spokesperson issued a statement yesterday announcing Mulunga’s suspension from the national oil company.
“The board has resolved to place our managing director, Immanuel Mulunga, on suspension with immediate effect pending an investigation.”
The board has appointed former Nedbank managing director Lionel Matthews as the Namcor chief for six months, effective from 12 April. In the interim, the board has appointed Namcor’s business strategy executive Shiwana Ndeunyema as company managing director until Matthews takes charge.
Matthews is currently working in the finance ministry and reports to finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi, who is seen as siding with Comalie’s group.
The minister denied those allegations in the past.
The board has allegedly complained to Shiimi that they do not have access to information about what has been happening at Namcor, other than the information that Mulunga has been providing.
Sources close to the board said they suspended Mulunga to create a favourable environment for an investigation to take place without his interference.
Mulunga’s people are reportedly questioning why the board and the minister did not wait until June to see if the Angola-Sonangol deal materialised.
A person familiar with this matter said the Mulunga investigation is not based on a single issue, but rather several matters that have not yet been probed.
PARLIAMENT INVESTIGATION
Furthermore, the leader of the official opposition Popular Democratic Movement, McHenry Venaani, wants parliament to an investigate Namcor.
“[I propose] that this house initiate an investigation into what appears to be a bitterly unscrupulous power struggle rendering to itself perceptions of mafia-style corporate governance unfolding at Namcor, and ultimately warranting concern and suspicion surrounding the management and possible looting of Namibia’s natural resources, promoting public distrust,” Venaani told the National Assembly yesterday.
He welcomed Mulunga’s suspension, which he also called for.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. We are aware of the power struggle and those behind them. It’s time we open up a parliamentary oversight investigation to get to the bottom of this new mafia-style corporate governance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission director general Paulus Noa informed Desert Radio yesterday that he served summonses on the board members of Namcor on Tuesday.
He added that this would be the next step in completing the investigation of possible irregularities regarding N$100 million paid by Namcor without board approval.
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